


longing floats around you

by gvrdensenshi



Series: If You Give A Little [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Femslash February, Flirting, Flowers, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Secret Admirer, Timeskip, Useless Lesbians, depictions of ptsd, ignores everything past episode 479
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-10-30 02:31:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17820122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gvrdensenshi/pseuds/gvrdensenshi
Summary: "you came and I was crazy for you / and you cooled my mind that burned with longing" -SapphoOr, Ino learns something she already knew.





	1. longing floats around you

            When Ino opened her eyes, she was in the flower shop. Outside the glass doors villagers went about their days, laughing and talking beneath a warm spring sun. On the counter beside her elbow was a small vase with a few sprigs of cosmos flowers.

            _Strange,_ she thought, tossing her long blonde bangs to the side with a quiet huff. _Wasn’t I just doing something else?_

            But as soon as she thought it the feeling passed. She took a breath, the heady scent of the flowers a balm to her momentary confusion.

            The bell at the doors chimed as they opened and a gentle breeze ruffled the flowers around her.

            Sakura walked in, a basket on her arm.

            “H-hey, Sakura!” Ino said warmly. Rare was the day her childhood friend came into the shop, so she knew the situation at the hospital must’ve been serious. “Is there something I can get you? Did Naruto hurt himself training again?”

            Sakura’s pale green eyes widened momentarily and Ino though she saw the beginnings of a blush on her sun-kissed cheeks. “Uh, n-no. Not today at least.” She looked down at her feet as the toes of her shoes scuffed the floor. “I-I was wondering if you have any cosmos? My room was looking a little dull and I wanted to spruce it up a bit.”

            Ino blinked in surprise. “S-sure! Something small for your desk or a larger arrangement?”

            “For my desk, yes,” the other girl replied, tugging at the ends of her pink hair in a nervous habit Ino recognized from their childhood.

            Ino nodded and moved to one side of the room. She took the cosmos flowers from their display along with a few sprigs of baby’s breath and walked back to the counter. “I rarely see you come by here anymore,” she found herself saying as she picked out a small ceramic vase from behind the counter.

            Sakura nodded, mouth a thin line. “Our away missions have been getting longer and longer since Naruto came back. And the hospital gets so busy on my days off I don’t get home until late at night.” She giggled. “I barely have enough time to greet my parents in the mornings.”

            Ino laughed, hands instinctively arranging the flowers just so. “Oh I bet Auntie loves that.”

            “You know how she is,” Sakura sighed. “But she and Dad are getting better at managing without me.”

            The blonde put the finishing touches on the arrangement, sliding it across the counter with a beaming smile. “I’m sure they are,” she replied. “Just promise you’ll find enough time in your schedule to take care of these, will you? I’d hate to have Auntie stop by complaining you killed the flowers in less than a week like last time.”

            “I was eight, and we had final exams,” Sakura huffed with a pout.

            Ino was too busy laughing to ring her up.

* * *

 

            To her credit, Sakura came in _eight_ days later—unlike the three or four Ino had been expecting.

            “I take it you killed my cosmos?” Ino asked.

            Sakura turned the brightest shade of red she had ever seen. “N-no!” she gasped, clearly more than a little offended at the notion. “Believe it or not, Ino, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of plants just as much as people.”

            “I don’t know,” Ino joked with a smirk. “Plants can’t tell you when they’re sick like people do. It takes a little more technical know-how.”

            “Clearly you never had to treat Naruto or Kakashi-sensei,” Sakura muttered.

            They locked eyes, sky blue on jade, and for a moment Ino though she saw warm affection in the other girl’s eyes. But just as she started to wonder what lay behind the look they both devolved into uncontrollable laughter.

            As the two quieted some time later Ino rested her chin on her hand, leaning over the counter to talk. “So what can I get for you today?”

            Sakura’s blush returned, though this time softer. “W-well, you see… I don’t know that much when it comes to flowers like you, Ino. You always say that flowers have meanings.”

            “You want to get your point across without anyone else knowing?” She smirked teasingly. “Are you in love with someone, Billboard Brow?”

            The other girl didn’t reply, but her furious blush and averted eyes gave Ino everything she needed to know.

            “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” she said softly. “Just leave this to me.”

            She stood and walked to one end of the store, carefully considering the flowers before her. “How about white iris flowers with some sprigs of blue salvia? It’s subtle but I think it’ll get your point across nicely.”

            Ino took the flowers in question and walked back to the counter.

            Sakura raised an eyebrow. “What do they mean?”

            “Iris means you’re sending a message,” Ino explained easily. “And blue salvia simply means ‘I think of you.’ So when you combine the two you’re telling the person that you want to say you’re thinking about them. It’s a good combination so you don’t scare them off by being too direct.” She winked knowingly.

            Sakura turned a vibrant shade of red as she took the bouquet from Ino. “T-thanks, Ino. I really appreciate the help.”

* * *

 

            Ino was helping her mother prepare dinner when there was a knock at the door.

            “Could you get that, Ino?” she asked, not looking up from the vegetables she was chopping.

            Ino wiped her hands on the towel sitting on the countertop before walking through the hall to the front door. Brushing her bangs out of her face she opened the door and came face to face with Sakura.

            “S-Sakura?!” she asked. “What’re you doing here?”

            Sakura didn’t respond, instead looking down at her feet with a lost expression.

            Ino noticed the bouquet in her hands.

            “Oh no,” she whispered, covering her mouth with her hand. “Did you get rejected?”

            Sakura looked up in shock, the light from the house playing across her face and highlighting the blush there. “I-I… well y-you see,” she stammered. “I d-didn’t get rejected, Ino. At least n-not yet.”

            Ino cocked a delicate eyebrow. “So what’re you doing here? Get out there and proclaim your love! It won’t do you any good to get cold feet now.”

            The other girl’s blush only deepened, and she tugged at the ends of her hair with her free hand as she glanced between the bouquet and Ino’s face.

            “What is it?” she asked.

            Sakura held out the bouquet suddenly, eyes squeezed shut and face completely red.

            Ino blinked in confusion. “What’re you…?”

            She didn’t open her eyes and instead held out the flowers a little more.

            Oh.

            _Oh._

            Ino felt her cheeks heat to an absurd degree. How on earth could she have been so dense?!

            She reached out, fingers brushing against Sakura’s as she wrapped her fingers around the stems of the iris and blue salvia. _I think of you_.

            She suddenly remembered a conversation long ago, after their battle in the chunin exams. _You’ve bloomed into a beautiful flower_.

            And hadn’t she? Hadn’t Sakura always been in Ino’s peripherals since childhood? Hadn’t she always loved the way the sunlight played against her pale hair? Hadn’t her laugh been one of the most perfect noises in all the world? Hadn’t Ino worried all those times Sakura threw herself into danger, fists or kunai at the ready? Had she not admired Sakura’s endless strength of body and spirit even after their endless arguments over a _boy_ of all the damn things?

            Hadn’t those feelings always been there, right in the back of her mind but unable to voice them for fear of rejection?

            Ino took hold of the bouquet, hand over Sakura’s. “I-I think of you, too, Sakura,” she whispered. “Maybe more than I ever admitted to myself before now.”

            Sakura’s brilliant green eyes opened, full of shock and awe and that warm affection she’d seen earlier that day when she’d come into the store. _I truly am the biggest idiot in Konoha_.

            Without thinking, Ino reached out and drew close to Sakura. She placed her hand on Sakura’s warm cheek and pressed her face close, their lips a hairsbreadth apart…

* * *

 

            When Ino woke up, the battle was already over.

            All around her the survivors of the battle emerged from large seed pods, the remnants of the Ten-Tails and the God Tree withered across the landscape. The sun was high in the sky—a far cry from the dead of night she’d last remembered.

            “What happened?” she asked, looking to Shikamaru.

            Her teammate shoved his hands in his pockets and smirked in that knowing way of his. “Just a guess but I’m betting that Naruto saved all our butts.”

            Choji raised a brow. “Yeah but where is he?”

            Not a moment later Kakashi’s ninja hound Pakkun came sprinting onto the field.

            “What’s happened?” Shikamaru asked.

            “Naruto and Sasuke put a stop to the Infinite Tsukuyomi,” the hound explained, more than a little out of breath. “But not before they had it out back at the Final Valley.”

            “And Sakura?” Ino asked.

            Pakkun licked his paw. “Making sure those two don’t bleed out,” he replied. “Their injuries were pretty traumatic, even for my tastes. They really laid it into each other.”

            “And Madara?” Choji asked.

            “Kakashi explained the details to me but it’s all pretty convoluted.” He sighed. “Madara was being used the entire time in order to release Kaguya. Team Seven managed to seal her back up and end the jutsu only after what Kakashi described as… a damn weird experience.”

            Ino wasn’t even listening anymore. Her legs began to move on their own, heading in the direction of the Leaf’s border. Behind her she vaguely heard the voices of her teammates calling out for her to wait.

            She’d tell them later that she’d gone to help Sakura with the healing jutsu. But her mind wasn’t on bracing for the blood Pakkun had described.

            It should have surprised her that her dream had been about Sakura. Not Sasuke, not Sai, but _Sakura_ with her pale hair and green eyes and sunny smile and the smell of healing herbs and vanilla that always hung around her.

            But it didn’t. Instead it felt like a long-coming epiphany, the product of years of close friendship and rivalry

            Were they those things though? Hadn’t she found Sakura beautiful, hadn’t she told her she’d one day bloom to be a flower more beautiful than the cosmos? Hadn’t that rivalry been the product of her spending her life around others who projected that as the norm, and hadn’t that rivalry been fueled by a long-throttled jealousy that Sakura had chosen a boy who never seemed interesting in anything but training?

            It made more sense than Ino felt it had a right to.

            Sprinting through the trees, Ino eventually came to the edge of the devastation left by Naruto and Sasuke. What had once been part of the verdant forest that surrounded the Leaf for miles had been reduced to ash and mud—almost indistinguishable from that left by the Ten-Tails.

            _To think Naruto would be capable of putting up this much of a fight after such a long battle_ , she thought.

            She took off running once again toward what remained of the statues of Hashirama and Madara. Surely Team Seven would be there, of all places.

            Skirting the edge of the lake, she came to a stop at the edge of the cliff. Below her Sasuke and Naruto were laying side by side in a pool of congealing blood. Sakura knelt between the two, surrounded by an aura of green chakra.

            Jumping down, she rolled up her sleeves and sat next to her oldest friend. She tried to ignore the pounding of her heart and how her throat went completely dry.

            “I-Ino!” Sakura was almost surprised enough to lose concentration. Her sleeves were ripped to shreds and her arm had a horrific burn. She’d tend to that later, after she’d helped with the other two.

            “You may have mastered Lady Tsunade’s Hundred Healings but even you run out of chakra like the rest of us.” She winked, blushing at her own boldness.

            Sasuke looked up at her, and she felt her blood run cold at his rinnegan.

            There had been a time, long ago, when she thought she’d have given anything to have him look at her with that mild thankfulness rather than his usual disdain.

            “Thanks, Ino,” Naruto rasped. One of his eyes was swollen shut and his nose was at an awkward angle.

            Ino finally looked down and saw the extent of the trauma the two teammates had inflicted on each other.

            “Jeez, Pakkun was right. You two really did a number on each other.”

            Reaching out and focusing her chakra, Ino got to work. _I’m glad you’re safe, at least, Sakura._


	2. out of the unexpected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some slight depictions of PTSD ahead.

            After the long series of funerals that followed, Ino found herself almost at a loss. How could life return to normal after everything they’d seen?

            Lady Tsunade had set up a clinic within the hospital for all the returning shinobi, so they could have a place to vent and understand how to deal with the lasting trauma the Fourth Great Ninja War had inflicted on them and so many others.

            It was there Ino found herself aimlessly wandering to one evening, long after her shift at the flower shop. With all the funerals they ordinarily would’ve been working around the clock, but things had been different when her father had been one of the many they’d had to bury.

            Not that there had been a body to actually bury.

            “Ino?”

            She looked up and saw Lady Tsunade exiting the hospital.

            Her expression must’ve said a lot, because her teacher raised a brow and put a hand on her hip. “C’mon. I’m surprised you didn’t come in sooner.”

            Ino followed her back into the winding, saline-smelling corridors of the hospital. A few of the nurses nodded politely to Lady Tsunade as she passed and others gave Ino an expression she couldn’t quite place.

            They came to a small office furnished with a messy desk, two couches, and a coffee table that was cleaner than the desk. A shogi set had been set off to the side. Clearly Shikamaru was a frequent patient.

            Lady Tsunade casually sat on one of the couches, gesturing to the other for Ino to sit.

            After she obliged the elder woman said, “You’ve been taken off the mission list for the time being. Hopefully we can make some progress until you’re back on assignment.”

            “H-how’d you know that? I thought Kakashi-sensei—”

            “Before I handed over the hat I oversaw the delegation of assignments,” she explained. “All members of the Yamanaka and Nara Clans are taking time to mourn their clan leaders in proper fashion. We have jonin to spare in the meantime, the Leaf won’t go without.”

            “Shikamaru’s been by hasn’t he?’ Ino asked.

            “It was like pulling teeth to get him to come in. But everyone was hit hard by the war and ensuing losses.” She paused. “How’re you holding up, Ino? Losing a parent isn’t easy.”

            “I…” She thought for a moment. She was next in line to lead the Yamanaka Clan. But was she even ready for the task, despite her father’s final reassurances? “I don’t know the answer to that, really.

            “It’s been really hard on Mom. There’s only so many times friends can bring by flowers before it feels disingenuous. She’s been spending a lot of time in her room, or with Shikamaru’s mother. Choji and Shikamaru have been by a couple times. Choji tries to get us to go out more, like old times, but Shikamaru and I haven’t been up to it yet.”

            “I didn’t ask about your mother or Shikamaru or Choji, Ino,” Tsunade murmured, leaning forward and leaning her elbows on her knees as she interlaced her fingers. “How’re _you_ doing?”

            Ino’s mouth opened and closed several times as she tried to find the words. But somehow they got stuck in the back of her throat. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

            Finally she whispered in a hoarse, choked voice, “Not too great, my lady.” She took what was supposed to be a steadying breath, but the tears escaped against her will. “I can’t sleep. When I do I have nightmares about the Ten-Tails, and Madara or Obito. I hear my dad’s voice and I see the Tailed Beast bomb hitting the headquarters.

            “I try to ignore it, by training or working in the shop. But when I stop it all comes back again and I feel so lost. This peace feels too fragile, too hard won. Like life shouldn’t go back to being like it was because how on earth _could_ it when we lost so many?

            “Sakura came by the house once but I refused to even open the door.” She let out a short, jaded laugh. “I suppose that’s the really telling part, when I don’t even want to be around the person who I lo… who I’m closest to.”

            Tsunade’s interlaced fingers covered her mouth as she studied Ino with an appraising gaze. She was too smart to have missed Ino’s near slip of the tongue.

            “Do you remember what I told you about patient confidentiality, Ino?” she asked.

            “Yes.” She wanted nothing more than to bolt through the window.

            “Then you know that nothing you say will leave this room unless you give me explicit permission?”

            “Yes.” Maybe she could use a substitution and make a break for it that way.

            “Tell me what you were really going to say.”

            Ino gulped. Leave it to Lady Tsunade to get to the one of the biggest issues at hand.

            She looked down at her lap and mouthed the words.

            “I didn’t quite catch that, I’m afraid.” Tsunade leaned further forward.

            “The person who I love most,” Ino whispered, fingers digging into the purple fabric of her skirt.

            Tsunade sat back, arm resting on the cushioned back of the sofa. “There’s no shame in loving someone of the same gender, Ino,” she said softly. “Konoha isn’t as stiff in the lip about such things as the elders would make it appear.”

            “I-it’s not that,” Ino replied. “At least not entirely.”

            “Have you told her?” Tsunade asked.

            Ino’s head snapped up, eyes widening. “No! I’ve only barely just realized it I don’t think I’m ready to drag her into my feelings yet.” She paused. “As awful as Madara’s jutsu was it was what got me to realize everything, once I woke up. I don’t think I would’ve found out otherwise.”

            “It showed you your heart’s desire,” Tsunade hummed. “Sometimes those things aren’t what we expect. But they give us something worth living for, Ino.” Her full lips pursed. “Are you worried about what your father would’ve thought?”

            She shrugged. “I’m next in line as leader of the clan. My dad used to always say I’m supposed to have children of my own to carry out that duty, and to continue the alliance between the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans. That’s it.”

 

* * *

 

            Ino found herself leaving the clinic later than she would’ve liked.

            As she walked through the hospital halls she happened to pass Kakashi-sensei, who was carrying a small bouquet of red wallflowers with a few sprigs of sorrel.

            “Hello there, Ino,” he said with his usual brand of cheerfulness, the clear definition of a smile underneath his mask.

            “Hi, Kakashi-sensei,” she replied, before realizing her misstep. “Uh, I mean Lord Hokage. Sorry, long day.”

            “Don’t worry about it.” He waved his hand dismissively, though not unkindly. “I’ve been trying to get Shizune to quit the habit too, but it seems to be futile at the moment.”

            Ino glanced at the bouquet in his hands. “’Affection’ and ‘faithfulness in adversity,’ huh?”

            Kakashi looked surprised for a moment, then heaved a sigh. “Leave it to one of the Yamanaka clan to sniff me out,” he replied. “They’re for Gai. I thought he could use some color in that hospital room of his; he’s got a long road before he’s discharged fully and back home.”

            She blinked in surprise. “W-wait are you and Gai-sensei _together_?!”

            The newly-inducted hokage shrugged nonchalantly. “Yeah. It wasn’t like we kept it a secret or anything. In fact, I’m surprised it’s taken you this long to notice.”

            Ino couldn’t find a reply, instead standing dumbfounded in the hallway.

            “Is something the matter?” Kakashi asked. “You look like you might cry. I can walk you over to Tsunade’s office and you can talk with her there; I think she might still be in given the number of appointments she’s been handling.”

            Ino wiped at her eyes hurriedly, thoroughly embarrassed at the tear tracks on her face. “N-no thanks, Kakashi, I just got done seeing her anyway.” She paused, scuffing the toe of her shoes against the pristine floor. “Can… can I ask you something, though?”

            The elder man appeared slightly uncomfortable given Ino’s emotional state but nodded. “Sure,” he said.

            “I was just talking to Tsunade about this,” she started, a little uneasy. “Y-you see I… I’m in love with… with this girl. We’ve been friends for a long time and I’ve only just realized I like her as more than a friend.”

            It was all coming out in a rush now. “I want to tell her but I’m scared she’ll reject me. A-and I don’t think my family will like that decision if I do because I’m next in line to lead the clan and they expect me to raise the next generation of the clan and I don’t know what the rest of the village will think and if my father would ever approve if he lived to see it and—”

            “Ino,” Kakashi interrupted. “Take a breath.”

            She stopped, breathing deep as she realized she was on the verge of hyperventilating.

            “Now,” he said quietly. “In everything you just said about leading your clan, nowhere in those rules does it say _who_ you have to do that with.”

            She felt herself go stock still, like a deer caught in the crossfire.

            “Secondly,” Kakashi continued, “do you really think the village will give that much of a damn when the hokage is already in a relationship with someone of the same gender? Or when that same hokage wasn’t even assigned that gender at birth?” Ino’s eyes got wider, and Kakashi only smiled. “Ino, you’re not the first person to worry about those things and I sincerely doubt you’ll be the last. We’re shinobi, and if someone takes an issue with who you are or who you love then that’s _their_ weakness. Not your own.”

            Ino didn’t have the words to reply.

            “I’m sure you need to get home and Gai is probably bugging the nurses, so I’m going to leave you with some advice a friend once gave to me that I gave to my students the day I took them on.” He put his free hand on her shoulder. “Those who break the rules are scum. But those who would abandon even one of their friends are worse scum than that.”

            He removed his hand and gave a short wave, walking down the hall and leaving Ino with her racing thoughts.

 

* * *

 

            Ino thought about Kakashi’s words longer than she’d like to admit. Weeks went by, the village slowly returned to a place that could be called ‘normal,’ and the stream of missions slowly increased as the Yamanaka emerged from the long mourning process.

            But Ino never once stopped thinking about Sakura, and what she should do—if anything. Tsunade had been needling her during their weekly sessions, but Ino had been uncharacteristically cagey about her feelings for her friend. She knew Tsunade wouldn’t break her promise of confidentiality, but she could only take so many of Tsunade’s pointed questions of “Have you told her?” and “Are you even going to, Ino?”

            Somehow, though, Ino had a feeling that Tsunade knew she hadn’t by the way Ino stood when she called the two of them to her office in the hospital.

            “I want the two of you to gather some herbs for our healers,” she told the two. Ino was trying hard not to combust on the spot from how close Sakura stood.

 _What should I do with my hands?_ she wondered, fingers shaking. _Sakura will notice if I cross my arms._

“We’ve been running low on crucial items,” Tsunade continued. “The number of wounded has been decreasing as more people have been discharged, but we need to maintain our stock. We can’t rely on the Alliance’s resources entirely.”

            “Yes, my lady,” Sakura replied, taking the list from the former hokage. She turned to leave, Ino moving to follow but her movements stuttered when she saw the knowing smirk on Tsunade’s face.

            _She’s plotting something, damn it._

            The two made their way into the forest outside of the village’s walls and got to work, Sakura making her usual polite conversation as she did. Ino was decidedly more awkward about it.

            Ino found her eyes wandering as her hands worked to collect the herbs—to Sakura and her hair gently brushing her cheeks in the breeze and her focused gaze and how she hummed under her breath in her beautiful voice as she worked.

            It was the first time they’d worked in such close contact since the war and Ino’s dream, she realized.

            “Ino?”

            She looked up, snapped out of her thoughts.

            “I asked if you’re alright?” Sakura asked, her green eyes meeting hers so intently that she couldn’t school her blush. _What am I even doing? I’m a battle-tested kunoichi not an academy school girl!_ “You looked a little distracted.”

            “I-I’m fine,” she murmured, looking down at the herbs in her basket.

            “If you say so,” Sakura replied, though her brows drew together in that concerned expression of hers she knew so well.

            They returned to their work, though she could tell Sakura was still more than a little unconvinced.

            After a good while Ino couldn’t take it anymore.

            “I’m sorry.”

            Sakura’s head snapped up. “W-what?”

            Ino bit her lip as she collected her thoughts. “I’m sorry I pushed you away for all those years,” she said in a rush. “That I was so cruel to you and ruined our friendship over a stupid boy who was never worth it.”

            The other girl was curiously silent for longer than Ino liked.

            “Ino,” she finally said, placing her gloved hand on Ino’s shoulder. Her touch burned through her top. “You don’t have to apologize. We were kids and we didn’t know any better! And honestly, you were the one who was always pushing me to become stronger as a ninja. Without you I doubt I’d be where I am now.”

            The blonde looked up and met her eyes. “B-but—”

            “And besides,” Sakura continued, that lovely smile of hers lighting up her face, “I think we’ve more than moved past that dumb crush on Sasuke. We know better now, and more importantly: we know ourselves better.”

            _If only you knew,_ Ino thought. _If only you knew what that jutsu made me realize. You wouldn’t look at me like that if you knew._

            They finished collecting the herbs and walked back to the village, talking and laughing the whole way. Occasionally Ino wondered if Sakura’s arm really was brushing against hers. But her thoughts were never far from that dream, and she had the vague beginnings of a plan.

 

* * *

 

            Several more weeks passed, and finally Ino’s hard work was blooming into fruition.

            Literally.

            Behind her house her father and mother had always kept a garden full of flowers. She could recall so many times in her childhood where she’d sat with her father as he tended the garden between missions—times she always treasured. It had gone untended since the war, but now Ino had begun to cultivate her own garden full of flowers with their many meanings.

            Her life finally had that burst of color back, along with a newfound determination.

            She bundled the iris and blue salvia together with some twine after she’d cut them away from the plant, proud of her work. It wasn’t her most original idea—she had her dream self to thank for that.

            Ino then walked to the hospital and left the bouquet in Sakura’s makeshift office, earlier than she was set to arrive and at an hour when few nurses walked the halls. The last thing she needed was for her secret mission to be known.

            And then she waited. She’d waited for years to realize her feelings, there was no sense in rushing things now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be only two parts but I just kept going, and I had to break it up for pacing. So expect two more part soon!


	3. but all at once

            It went on like that for a long, long time. Every few weeks Ino would find places to leave Sakura a bouquet of ever-changing flowers with meanings varying from adoration to expressions of love.

            Those weeks quickly turned into months, and those months snowballed into a year and then two. The ten former genin—once twelve-strong—grew older and promoted to jonin. Ino was given her own squad of young genin to train and suddenly had far less time to secretly give Sakura her flowers. But she made it work.

            One day, Ino ran into Tenten and Hinata as she returned to her apartment after sneaking a bouquet of gardenias to Sakura’s office.

            “Hi, Ino!” Hinata greeted her in her soft voice.

            “Hey!” She smiled at her friends. “It’s been so long! How’ve you been?”

            “Pretty good,” Tenten said. Then she shrugged. “Just busy between missions and training. Ya know, the usual.”

            “We should get together for barbeque!” Hinata said excitedly. “Like old times!”

            “Yes that’d be so fun!” Tenten agreed with a grin. She gasped. “We could do a girls night! Temari is in town for the chunin exams so we could invite her too!”

            They left the task of tracking down Temari to Ino, while the two other girls went to the hospital seeking Sakura.

            After finding the Sand kunoichi, they made their way to the restaurant. Hinata and Tenten were waiting for them.

            “Where’s Sakura?” Temari asked as they sat down.

            “She had to make her last rounds before she met us,” Hinata explained. “She shouldn’t be long.”

            Just as the waitress returned with their drinks, Sakura arrived. She had her white lab coat on one arm and in her other hand was the bouquet of gardenias.

            Ino hid her bashful smile behind her glass as she took a sip.

            “Sorry I’m late,” the medical ninja said, a little out of breath. “We’ve been a little busy this week and I’ve been doing paperwork nonstop when I’m not making rounds.”

            “It’s no problem,” Tenten assured her. “We all have so many responsibilities now, it’s a wonder we could all make the time.”

            “You have your own squad now, right Ino?” Temari asked. “Are they planning on taking the exams?”

            Ino sighed, setting down her drink. “They’ve been pestering me nonstop for weeks now. They’ve got some skills but I just don’t think they’re ready yet.” She laughed. “They’re no Rookie Nine, that’s for sure.”

            That sent Hinata and Sakura into a fit of giggles. Ino blushed at how it lit up Sakura’s face.

            Feeling bold, Ino leaned her chin on her hand. “So who’re the flowers from, Sakura?” she teased, drawing out the syllables in her name. _Maybe I shouldn’t drink or I might say something._

            Sakura immediately turned the brightest shade of red Ino had ever seen. She tugged at the ends of her hair but didn’t offer a verbal reply.

            “Are they from Sasuke?” Temari asked.

            Sakura scoffed at that. “I sincerely doubt he’d take time to send me flowers every few weeks from wherever he is right now.” She looked down at the white petals of the gardenias. “And besides, I don’t know who’s been sending them. They show up every couple weeks without any note.”

            “They’re definitely not from Sasuke,” Tenten said knowingly.

            Temari’s brows drew together. “What do you mean?”

            Ino’s heart started to beat faster. _Shit, does she know something?_

            Tenten rubbed the back of her neck. “Okay, you have to promise not to say anything because I’m not really supposed to know.”

            The other girls nodded, eagerly sitting forward as they listened to Tenten.

            She took a breath before rushing into her explanation. “Okay so after Sasuke was released from the intel corps’ custody I was out for a walk one night near the old Uchiha district. And I saw Sasuke and Naruto in the middle of what looked like an argument—”

            “Tenten don’t tell me you eavesdropped,” Sakura sighed.

            “Shhh!” Temari and Hinata hushed her.

            “So anyway,” Tenten continued, “I made sure they didn’t see me and I didn’t hear the whole thing. But they both looked really upset and then all of a sudden Sasuke kissed Naruto.”

            Ino choked on air. “You’re joking!”

            “I’m serious!” the weapons expert said. “But Naruto didn’t look too happy because he pulled away and said a whole lot I couldn’t really hear before leaving. The only thing I did manage to hear was him say he couldn’t keep waiting for the rest of his life.”

            “That’s not too surprising,” Sakura said with a concerned frown. “Naruto spent so long chasing after Sasuke I don’t think he’d want to keep waiting around for that rare time Sasuke decided to show up.” She paused. “Poor Naruto.”

            “He’s doing just fine,” Temari scoffed. “He visits the Sand so often I’m surprised he finds time to come back to Konoha. Gaara is always a little happier after Naruto’s visits—or his version of happy. Plus Naruto already asked Kankuro and I if he had our permission to—” She cut herself off, having clearly said too much.

            Ino gasped. “They’re engaged?!”

            Temari groaned, holding her head in her hand. “Look, don’t go saying it so much. I promised not to say anything until they had everything finalized and I don’t think Naruto has worked up the courage to even ask Gaara yet.”

            “I’m glad Naruto at least found someone,” Sakura hummed.

            “He’s not the only one,” Hinata said. “I’ve seen Sai and Lee on dates, and Shikamaru has been trying to be discrete about him and Temari” The woman in question blushed furiously. “And I’ve been on a few dates too.”

            “With who?” Ino asked.

            She blushed, and Tenten looked away bashfully while her hand obviously reached for hers under the table.

            “Wait seriously?!” Temari asked. “I didn’t know either of you liked girls.”

            Tenten scoffed. “I thought at least _I_ was obvious about it since forever ago.”

            “I realized during Madara’s jutsu,” Hinata said quietly. “And even then it took a lot of sessions with Lady Tsunade for me to say it out loud.”

            Ino felt her eyes widen. _Hinata too?_

            “I had the same problem, Hinata,” Sakura admitted quietly. Ino thought her eyes might pop out of her head. “After the Five Kage Summit I realized… that maybe that crush I had hadn’t been what I thought it was. And everything during that last battle really solidified it. I just had a lot of trouble admitting it.”

            _No way no way no way no way!_

            “What about you, Ino?” Temari asked coyly.

            “W-what do you mean?” Ino asked, half in a panic. _She’ll find out I know she will and then I’ll never be able to live it down._

            “Girls, guys, both?” Temari pressed. “None of the above?”

            Ino looked down at her hands. It had been two years but she could still hear Kakashi’s words clearly in her mind: _If someone takes an issue with who you are or who you love that’s their weakness._

            She hadn’t had weekly sessions in over a year, but Tsunade would kill her if she didn’t take this chance. And she knew the former hokage would have her ways of finding out.

            “Girls,” Ino admitted quietly, wishing she could get herself to stop blushing.

            “Cheers to that!” Tenten said happily, raising her glass and taking a drink.

            Ino glanced up for a brief moment, and saw Sakura looking at her with a warm expression she didn’t recognize. But as soon as their eyes met Sakura looked away, cheeks noticeably pink.

 

* * *

 

            They left the restaurant a few hours later, full and laughing and happy to have reconnected after their lives had pulled them in various directions.

            Ino found herself almost instinctively falling into step with Sakura, who hung back a bit from the others.

            She pointed to the bouquet. “So you really don’t know who they’re from?”

            Sakura’s blush returned with a vengeance. “No,” she murmured, looking down at the white petals. “There’s someone… well, someone who I _hope_ it is. But I don’t think she likes me the same way I like her.”

            _Of course she would,_ Ino thought sadly. _She’d be a fool not to love you._

            “Someone you know from the hospital?” she asked.

            The pink-haired girl was silent for a moment. “Something like that,” she whispered eventually. “We’ve been friends for so long I doubt she sees me as anything more.”

            Maybe it was the drinks, or maybe Ino was braver than she thought. But the blonde reached out and took the bouquet from Sakura’s hand, their fingers brushing and setting her nerves on fire. She pretended to carefully consider the flowers before nodding knowingly. “Gardenias are symbols of secret love, y’know. Whoever gave you these really does care about you, Sakura. I think they’re just having a lot of trouble getting it across.”

            _Too bold too bold too bold!_ she thought in a panic. _She’s gonna figure it out and then I’m done for!_

            She handed the bouquet back to Sakura, who was blushing furiously. _She really does look beautiful under the moon._

            “I don’t feel like I’m very good at getting my feelings across either,” she replied.

            They were silent after that, and they said goodbye to Hinata and Tenten. Temari left them a little after, heading back to her hotel.

            In the end it was just Ino and Sakura wandering the empty streets of Konoha.

            They came to an intersection of two roads, one leading to Sakura’s apartment and the other to Ino’s. Sakura looked at her and opened her mouth to say something but stopped herself before the words could come out.

            There was a lot Ino wanted to say too.

            “Well, goodnight,” Sakura said quietly. “Hopefully we can get together again soon, Ino. I… I’ve missed seeing you all the time. Everyone, if I’m being honest.”

            “Me too,” Ino whispered. “M-maybe we could go out for desert next week? Like when we were kids.”

            Sakura smiled, and Ino’s heart gave a dangerous stutter. “I’d like that.”

            She left, waving goodbye over her shoulder and leaving Ino with the impression of her smile. Ino stood out in the middle of that intersection for longer than she should’ve, wondering if maybe she’d been too bold or if she hadn’t been bold enough.

* * *

 

            With twenty-four hours until their appointed get-together, Ino decided she needed to be bolder.

            Or, rather,  _Tsunade_ decided during one of their infrequent sessions. “You’re making good progress,” she’d said. “But you can’t keep stalling out, Ino. You won’t know unless you try.”

            _She can be so pushy,_ Ino thought.

            She stared at her makeshift garden on her balcony. She’d been through every iteration she could come up with. There was no flower she hadn’t already given Sakura that could possibly put out the message in a way she hadn’t already.

            Ino sighed sadly and walked back into her apartment.

            She sat down at her desk and put her chin dejectedly into her hand.

            Her other hand absently reached into the drawer and pulled out a familiar, if slightly old and discolored, red ribbon. She held it up to the sunlight and smiled, remembering the cautious, yet happy, expression Sakura had when she’d given it to her all those years ago.

            The hard determination when she’d given it back.

            Ino hadn’t known why she kept the ribbon all that time, between becoming genin and the war. But now, in hindsight, it all made sense. It was the only thing she had that proved her loyalty and protectiveness over Sakura—that innocent childhood crush she hadn’t known what to do with for the life of her.

            _I wonder if she still remembers this old thing. How it brought us together._

            She stared at it a while longer, and she suddenly realized what she needed to do.

 

* * *

 

            Ino’s hands were absurdly, embarrassingly sweaty. She kept having to wipe them subtly on her skirt so no one—certainly not Sakura—would notice. She fiddled with her long hair—should she wear it over her shoulder, or up in the old ponytail she hadn’t done since she was seventeen?

            _Too late now. She’ll be here any minute._

            The little shop was mostly empty, and Ino sat alone at a table for two. The bouquet was in her lap.

            _I can’t believe I’m actually doing this._

            The bell chimed as the door opened. Sakura walked in, an absent smile on her lovely face.

            _I can do it._

            Sakura saw her, and walked over, waving as she did. “Hey, Ino!” she said brightly. “I’ve been looking forward to this all week! I need a break from all the work, honestly.”

            _Oh no, I think I’m gonna be sick…_

            Ino’s mouth was dry, and she could barely the words out. “Me too… My students have been driving me up the wall.”

            _I can’t do it._

            “Are they still giving you trouble about the chunin exams?” she asked, leaning her chin on her ungloved hand—she was wearing her civilian clothes today.

            _I can’t, I can’t, I can’t!_

            “A bit,” she found herself replying automatically. Her brain was short-circuiting.

            _Has she seen the flowers? Damn it I hope not._

            Sakura ordered them both deserts—herself an order of anmitsu and Ino an order of pudding.

            _Maybe I can substitute them away before she does?_

            But Tsunade’s voice was in her head. _You won’t know unless you try._

            “S-Sakura,” Ino murmured, half hiding her face behind the curtain of her hair.

            “What’s up?” the other girl asked, turning to look at her as the employee walked back to get their orders. Her eyes were bright, beautiful, and questioning.

            “I… I, well, uh…” She took a steadying breath. “There’s something I really need to tell you.”     

            “Is something wrong?” Sakura leaned forward, brows drawing together. “You can tell me anything, Ino, I’m here for you.”

            She took another breath. “You see, I… I have another reason I wanted to get together…” Another breath, and she lifted the flowers onto the table.

            It was a small bouquet—none of the ones she’d given Sakura before had been particularly grand. The only flowers she’d used for it were cosmos, tied together not with simple twine like before but with the red ribbon she’d given to Sakura all those years ago.

            “I have to tell you,” she said, “that I’m the one who’s been giving you the flowers all this time.”

            She didn’t wait for a reply, instead barreling forward with her story without looking up and instead staring at her hands. “Back during Madara’s jutsu my dream was that you came to the shop, and you asked for flowers for someone you loved. Then you showed up at my door with the flowers and I… well, when I woke up I realized how stupid I was.

            “I was stupid because all those years we’d been friends I had feelings I never knew what to do with. And then you said you liked Sasuke and I was so, so jealous but didn’t know how to tell you. So I pushed you away and pretended it was jealousy because I liked Sasuke, but I only had eyes for you.

            “I had no idea how to tell you, especially after the war. So I went back to the thing I know best and I decided to leave you flowers as a way of telling you in secret. And the whole time I never knew if you could ever like me the same way, but then you told me after that girls night that you were in love with someone. I know it’s probably not me, but I wanted to tell you anyway after Tsunade pushed me during our last session.

            “If you don’t feel the same I completely understand,” she finished, completely out of breath. “But I just wanted you to hear me out.”

            The other girl was completely silent for a worrying amount of time.

            Ino looked up, and there were tears in Sakura’s brilliant green eyes.

            _I fucked up. She doesn’t love me, it’s someone else. And now I’ve gone and made a fool of myself and ruined what friendship we still had._

            “I-is that the ribbon you gave me?” Sakura finally whispered after a long time. “The one for my hair?”

            Ino shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Y-yes. I never understood why I kept it, until yesterday when I was looking at it and realized it was what brought us together when we were kids.”

            She barely nodded. “And… are those cosmos flowers?”

            Ino nodded in return. “They were the only thing I could think of that would make it obvious.”

            Sakura didn’t reply, and Ino stared at her lap again.

            _She hates it. She hates me. I knew it. It’s time to cut my losses and leave. Maybe I can request a more permanent assignment and I’ll never have to show my face in Konoha again—_

            There came the sound of Sakura’s chair moving.

            _She’s leaving,_ she thought. _Shit, don’t cry you big baby you can handle this like a reasonable adult._

            Suddenly there was a soft, warm hand on Ino’s cheek. Her head jerked up and Sakura was so close to her she could smell the herbs and vanilla.

            “Why’re you crying, silly girl?” Sakura asked, despite her own tears. “As if I could ever love anyone else but you.”

            And then Sakura was kissing her.

            Ino was _kissing_ Sakura.

            Her lips were so soft and her breath tasted like mint, and suddenly Ino was addicted. She reached up and wound her hands in Sakura’s silky hair and pulled her as close as she could despite the awkward position.

            When they broke apart, breathless and blushing, Ino stared at her in a daze. “Y-you’re serious?”

            “Of course I am!” Sakura said with a hint of laughter in her voice. “I’m surprised you didn’t see how much I was staring at you at dinner last week, or noticed when I said I was in love with an old friend. I thought for sure I gave it away.”

            Oh.

            _Oh._

            That warm look, that blush, so much the same from her dream, that she’d so readily dismissed in the same way.

            _I really am an idiot._

            “I thought I gave it away too,” Ino murmured. “With how I teased you about the bouquet.”

            “I should’ve guessed only you would do that.” Sakura’s smile was blinding. “Just promise this won’t be the last bouquet. They’ve really brightened my days.”

            Ino laughed softly, pulling Sakura ever closer. “I think I can manage,” she replied, before pulling her in for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *rubs my grubby little lesbian hands all over kishimoto's canon*


	4. violets in her lap

            The next spring arrived and Sakura had left the task of arranging the bouquets to Ino.

            It was one of a number of tasks leading up to their day, ones they shared, but Ino took it on with extra care. After all, it wouldn’t do for the brides to have subpar bouquets when one was a florist.

            “Part time,” Ino had joked, before showering Sakura in kisses and promises of the future.

            Dressed in her kimono, Ino turned to her mother. “How do I look?” she asked, and she could feel her brows creasing in worry.

            She smiled, tearing up. She held the picture of Inoichi in her arms. “Beautiful,” she whispered. “I’m so proud of you, and I know your father would be too. The Yamanaka Clan is in good hands.”

            Ino gave a watery smile.

            “Oh, don’t cry now,” her mother fussed. “You’ll smudge your makeup. Save it for after the pictures.”

            After making sure Ino’s hair was perfect and her makeup unmarred, they made to leave. Ino double checked to make sure the bouquets she held were equally perfect.

            Off-pink peonies were the largest pieces, with winter honeysuckle, myrtle, and violets arranged around them.

            And, of course, she couldn’t forget the cosmos.

            At the other end of the hall was Sakura, her hair bound up in a familiar red ribbon that stood out against the pink of her hair and the white of her dress. Kizashi and Mebuki flanked her, and Kizashi looked to be half in tears.

            They met halfway, and Ino’s heart fluttered when her fingers reached out to brush Sakura’s. “I believe these are yours,” she said softly, winking as she handed her the bouquet.

            Ino thought it every single day, but Sakura had never looked more beautiful than when she smiled then. “It’s perfect.” She held the flowers close, studying them. “Happy lives, bonds of love, good luck in marriage, and… devotion?”

            Ino’s mother smiled. “You’ve been spending more time around the flower shop, I see.”

            “Flowers have more meanings than I thought,” she replied with her brilliant smile. “I’m trying to memorize more than what Ino’s taught me.”

            Ino laughed softly, leaning over to kiss Sakura’ cheek. “I’m sure you’ll manage, love. We have all the time in the world.”

            Sakura’s pleased blush was well worth it.

            Their parents led them down the hall, talking and laughing as they did. Ino and Sakura hung back a bit, their free hands intertwined. They fit perfectly, as though they were meant for nothing else.

            “I don’t think I’ve ever asked,” Sakura said suddenly, “but what do cosmos mean, Ino?”

            The blonde smiled. “’Walk with me hand in hand.’”

            Sakura looked up from the flowers, blushing once again, and Ino leaned over to sneak a kiss.

            When they broke apart Ino whispered, “I love you.”

            “I love you too, silly girl,” Sakura murmured before the doors opened and they walked out to meet their friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank every single one of you for your support! This little self-indulgent project meant a lot to me and it means a lot more that so many of you loved it! <3


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